Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Devil’s Arithmetic, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory
Sacrifice
Jewish Culture and Identity
Hope
Summary
Analysis
Hannah tells Rachel, Shifre, and Esther fictional stories she knows about Jewish people, like the plots of the movies Yentl and Fiddler on the Roof, then she begins telling other fictional stories like Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian. Hannah remembers so much of her past life that she’s sure she’s still Hannah, but to the other girls, she still appears to be Chaya.
Once again, Yolen finds ways to include humor into what is otherwise a very dark and depressing part of history. Hannah’s decision to tell stories about fictional Jewish people—and then people who aren’t Jewish at all—reveals how little she actually knows about Jewish culture.
Themes
Just then, Hannah and the girls hear klezmer music (Jewish folk music). Three musicians come walking by, and everyone starts dancing. Rachel tells Hannah to sing, and to her surprise, she knows the words. The girls gossip about how strange it is that Fayge and Shmuel are marrying for love—most marriages are arranged.
The klezmer music represents the joyful side of Jewish culture—something that Hannah doesn’t have much experience with. In order for Hannah to better understand the tragedy of the Holocaust, she has to first learn how vibrant Jewish life used to be before the Holocaust.
Themes
The badchan (professional entertainer, like a jester) comes over to Hannah and sings her a song about how she seems wise beyond her years. The badchan explains that the name Chaya means life. Hannah finds all this strange, but Rachel assures her that it’s a badchan’s job to be strange.
